MA IN Ministry

36 credit hours / 2–3 years

Why study Ministry at TEDS?

Your MA in Ministry specialization is unique to your current ministry context in a local church, parachurch, or other church-related ministry. Our broadly evangelical heritage and rich pool of experienced faculty, combined with the flexibility to focus your program very specifically, make the MA in Ministry an excellent way to grow in wise stewardship of the ministry God’s given you.

WHAT ARE THE PREREQUISITES FOR
ADMISSION TO THIS PROGRAM?

Besides the requirements for general admission, you’ll want to be aware of the following basic prerequisites (see full prerequisites for more explanation):

You’ll need an accredited baccalaureate degree;
Your GPA must be at least a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale (though there can be exceptions);
You’ll need to have taken courses in Old Testament, New Testament, and theology;
We’ll ask for a personal ministry statement, a formal pastoral or ministry supervisor letter of recommendation, and we may request an interview.

WHAT WILL I STUDY?

Courses you will take include the following:

BIBLICAL, THEOLOGICAL, AND HISTORICAL STUDIES: 12–15 HOURS

A minimum of one course (2 hours) each in Old Testament, New Testament, Theology, and History.

MINISTRY PRACTICE AND CONTEXT:* 12–15 HOURS

A minimum of four courses in ministry application, two of which (6 hours total) must be in a particular area of ministry specialization that provides a foundation for the capstone integrative experience.

Required: PT 5000 Personal Assessment and Ministry Orientation

*Areas of Ministry Specialization recently completed by MA in Ministry graduates or current students include those below. These areas and courses are suggested and may vary according to the needs of the student and availability of courses. While 6 hours in a Specialization are required, 6-9 additional hours plus the Capstone Experience enable a student to complete as many as 14 or more semester hours in the Specialization. Course work is also available through cross-registration into other seminaries in the Association of Chicago Theological Schools (ACTS) consortium. Consult your advisor for course recommendations.

CAPSTONE: 3–6 HOURS

Course	Title	Credits
ID 7465	MA in Min Capstone Experience	3–6 hours

A ministry-based experience that integrates the biblical/theological/historical with the ministry practice and context components of the program and provides the capacity for further specialized service in the church (ID 7465). This intensive experience may be a practicum or a project and (for 3 semester hours) will reflect a minimum of 168 hours (12 hr/wk for 14 wks) of experiential learning and be accompanied by a 7,500-to-10,000-word (25-30 page) critical analysis paper demonstrating integration of program components with the area of ministry specialization.

Field Education

All MA in Ministry students must fulfill field education requirements. Learn more about field ed here.

Ministry Specialization

The Areas of Ministry Specialization listed below are four potential tracks for the MA in Ministry programs. These areas of ministry specialization and the courses listed in each area are suggested and may vary according to the needs of the students and availability of courses.

PREACHING AND TEACHING

Students desiring to cultivate their preaching and teaching gifts in the context of the local church can pursue a preaching and teaching focus. Recommended courses include the following:

Course	Title	Credits
EM 5125	Teaching and Learning	2–3 hours
HM 5000	Theology and Methodology of Biblical Preaching	1 hour
HM 6610	Preaching Narrative	1 hour
HM 6620	Preaching Poetry and Prophecy	2 hours
HM 7210	Expository Preaching of a Biblical Book	2 hours
HM 7400	Seminar: History of Preaching	2 hours
HM 8000	Seminar: Current Issues	1–3 hours
ME 8215	Teaching Across Cultures	3 hours
NT 6600	Preaching from the New Testament	1 hour
OT 6600	Preaching from the Old Testament	1 hour

SPIRITUAL FORMATION AND PASTORAL CARE

Students interested in pursuing spiritual formation, equipping others in spiritual formation, and providing pastoral care can pursue a spiritual formation and pastoral care focus. Recommended courses include the following:

Course	Title	Credits
CM 5000	Intro to Counseling Ministries	2 hours
CM 6572	Pastoral Counseling for Marriage & Family	3 hours
DE 5740	Spiritual Formation	3 hours
EM 5000	Foundations in Educational Ministry	2–3 hours
EM 5510	Christian Formation & Journey	2 hours
EM 6275	Developing Healthy Spiritual Leaders	2–3 hours
EM 6000	Current Topics in Educational Ministries (suggested topics: Adolescent Spirituality OR Marriage Enrichment)	1–3 hours

CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT

Students committed to cultural engagement, multi-ethnic ministry, and/or engaging a diverse world for the sake of the gospel can pursue a cultural engagement focus. Recommended courses include the following:

Course	Title	Credits
CC 5610	Cultural Hermeneutics	2 hours
CC 5615	Cultural Engagement	3 hours
HM 8000	Seminar: Current Issues (topic: Preaching and Culture)	1–3 hours
ME 7710	Contextualization	3–4 hours
ME 8210	Intercultural Communications	3–4 hours
ME 8215	Teaching Across Cultures	3 hours
ME 9085	Global Migration and Diaspora of Faith Communities	3 hours
PT 7842	Understanding the Urban World	2 hours
PT 7860	Social & Cultural Exegesis	2–3 hours
ST 6011	Global Theologies	2 hours

Leadership

Students with backgrounds or interests in organizational leadership can pursue a leadership focus. Recommended courses include the following:

Course	Title	Credits
CM 6000	Issues in Counseling Ministries, Issues in Counseling Ministry	1–3 hours
EM 5000	Foundations in Educational Ministry	2–3 hours
EM 5210	Christian Leadership and Administration	2–3 hours
EM 6265	Building Ministry Teams	2–3 hours
EM 6270	Building Community in the Church	2–3 hours
ME 5001	Foundations of Evangelism	2 hours
ME 6963	Principles of Discipleship	3 hours
OT 6000	Current Studies in Old Testament	1–3 hours
PT 7210	Pastoral Practices	2–3 hours
PT 7220	Pastoral Leadership	2–3 hours
PT 7225	The Essence of Biblical Leadership	2 hours
PT 7410	Denominational History & Polity	1 hour
PT 8000	Current Issues (topic: Essence of Biblical Leadership)	2–3 hours
ST 5200	Christian Ethics	3 hours